Vaporizer



Patented `une 1K1,` 1940 UNITED STATES- p 2,204,312; y l.

My invention relates to improvements in va porizers, and has to do more particularly with the provision` of .a'device for the application of vola'- tile medicaments tol the respiratory passages of 5 the human nose and throat.

During the'pas't severalk yearsI a number of preparations for thetreatment of vrhinitisr and sinus trouble have been'placed upon the market, most of which are in then'ature of fluids or semi- `10 fluids of jelly-like vconsistency adapted for direct application to the nose and/or throat by means of a swab or, in the case of liquid medicaments, by a dropper or pipette.' Thetechnique of such application generallyr consists rin applying the I l5 medicament to .the vmucous iinembranes of they. i affectedlarea, While the head is swung backward.

In the case of highly fluid preparations, it isj practically impossible to prevent. the draining of the medicament into the throat and thence intothe applied .and the fact vthat the ingredients are l Adiscomforting and may be actually harmfulwhen reaching the esophagusl or trachea, many physicians do not approve of this mode 'of treatment for the nasal passages, despite the fact that such treatment affords great relief tov head congestion and is of recognized benefit in treating catarrhalI conditions in the air passages ofthe human head.

-With the foregoing( 'objectionsvto the. present mode of applying such preparations in mind, my

invention has for. its purposseveral fwelldefined v objects. It is av primary object of my invention to provide an applicator by, which liquids orjellies containing Volatile healing and 'therapeutic ingredients may be administered to the human nose and throat without inducing coughing'or nausea. g 1 y 'It is an object of my invention to provide an applicator for vapor-yielding Ajelly which will administer the volatile therapeutic ingredients 'in v`what might be termed a solution of'vvater vapor, `with the result that the vapor is properly diluted y either 'throughl evaporation or spil1ing.

and moderated by an'appropriate amount of natur'alvmoisture, so {that Vno burning or drying out 'of'the'mucous membranes'occurs. l "It is anl object of vmy invention to provide an applicator for the administration of `nasal medic-y aments, `in which the-medicamenti may be ad- 5 ministered either in `a vapor form ormay be Withdrawnand applied tol the affected membranesin afliquid state. f Itis an objectof-myinvention/to provide a device for dispensing vapor-yielding jelly in a 10` warmed' condition especiallysuitable forA app1i' ,cation externally;y for'example, to the human chest.

Itis an object of my'invention to provide a device of the character described which is "adaptx16 ed to 'receive and support the conventional jar in which suchy preparations are marketed, andy ywhich'v'iill conceal the jar and its contents, as well as materially preclude the loss ofcontents, V20

`AIt is an objectof my invention toprovide a de- 4`vice of Jthe classdescribed which affords an indication of the requisite fluidity of the jelly prior to administration.

Q Lastly, it is an Aobject of thisinvention to pro- 25 yidefva device of the character described which v may be madeat a cost sufficiently lowto permit its being given to the "user Aof the jellly, 'as a premium.

Further objects and objects relating to detalls 30 andfadvantagesof manufacture and use will'appear` to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the 4following specification.' vIn onefinstance; Iy

accomplnishythe objects of my invention/by the means set forth inthe following description. My 35 invention is clearly defined inthe appended claim; AA structure constituting a` preferred embodiment. o ffmyinvention is illustrated vin the accompanying drawing; in whichv Figure 1 is aiperspective'view of a device con- 40 stituting a preferredembodiment of the present invention; -I v :Fig: 2 `is a vertical sectional view through Vthe deviceillustrated in Fig. 1, illustrating theheat- `ing v'ele'me'ent and moisture-introducing dropper 45 forming a part of the device;-

Y Fig. 3 is a'vertical sectional View of the same ldevice taken at right angles to the-view shown in "F.ieLZ; and z 4'is a horizontahsectional View through 50 the'fdevice taken on the line 4-4 of Fig,v 2, the

n dropper being omitted for clarity of illustration.

The same reference numerals refer to the same fpartsthroughoutl the several views. y `V`A`I In'fa broad sense, my invention finds embodi- 55 ment in an inverted cup-like shell, the upper portion of which terminates in a tube adapted for insertion in a nostril of the human nose; the lower, skirt-like portion of which is adapted to receive a conventional jar of therapeutic jelly for the treatment of the mucous membranes; and the intermediate portion of which constitutes a vapor dome or chamber in communication with the open mouth of the said jar and the duct of the nose-entrant-tube. Includes, also, in the broad structure, is a heating element carried by the inverted cup-like shell and depending into the jar to be assembled therewith. Means are also provided for the introduction of water or other' diluent into the associated jar of jelly without, l

the necessity of disassembling the jar from the encircling shell.

the jar comprises a pipette, the tube of which extends intothe inverted shell and terminates in proximity to the bottom of the jar assembled therewith, and the compressible bulb of which is disposed exteriorly of said shell. In such an arrangement, theY fluidity or viscosity of the jelly and diluent contained within the jar may be determined by manipulation of the bulb portion of the pipette. Preferably, though not essentially, the association of the pipette and the jar-encasing shell is such that a vent is provided through which atmospheric air may gain access into the vapor chamber of the device, and through which vent, in the case of the use of an incandescent bulb as the jelly-heating element, a ready indication of the operation of the heating element is aiorded. i

More specifically, and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, there is shown a shell Ill, preferably formed by die-molding of synthetic resinous material, or the equivalent. The lower portion of the hollow shell Ill flares downwardly and outwardly tof constitute a skirt-like portion II, the upper portion of which slnrt is provided with an integrally molded screw thread or threads I2 adapted to snugly receive a conventional jar I3 in which nasal jellies are commonly marketed. The edge of the jar mouth seats against a shoulder I4 of the molded shell and aifords a liquid-tight seal therewith, while the base of the jar is held in slightly spaced relation with respect to a surface upon which the skirt II is adapted to be supported along its lower edge. Extending upwardly from the shoulder I4 is a cylindrical portion I5 of the shell which, with the disk-like portion it, deiines a vapor space in communicationr with the open mouth of the jar. Extending upwardly from the disk-like portion I6 of the shell is an integral tube I'l provided with a vapor duct II-a. Upon the upper extremity of the vapor tube Il is frictionally attached a nose piece I8 of similar synthetic resinous material. This nose piece I8 may be easily detached for cleaning. Preferably, though not essentially, the material of the entire shell I6 and the nose piece I8 is opaque, concealing the incased jar.

Means are provided for the heating of the jar contents, which means consists, in the disclosed embodiment, of a small elongate incandescent bulb I9 of approximately 10 watts rating. The bulb I9 is supported in a socket 20 attached to the disk-like portion It of the shell by means of a pair of small, diametrically opposed screws 2I threaded into a boss 22 constituting a thickened portion of the disk I6. Current supply for the More specifically, said 'means' for the introduction of diluent to the contents -of ,k

said bulb is furnished by means of a flexible cord 23, the ends of which are suitably connected to the socket 2U, which co-rd passes through the wall I5 and is knotted therewithin at 23-a to prevent inadvertent dissociation from the socket.

Press-tted into a bore in the disk-like top IG of the device is a tubular member 24, the upper end of which is provided with a shoulder 25 resting upon the top face of the portion I6. The shoulder portion 25 of said tube is counterbored to provide a tapered entrance to the tube proper, and the tube 24 extends downwardly to a point slightly below the shoulder I 4 of the shell. The counterbored edge of the shoulder 25 is further provided with four grooves or notches 25-a, for

a purpose later to be explained. The bore of the tube 24 loosely receives the tubular portion of a pipette 26 of more or less conventional form, the rubber bulb 2li-a of which pipette seats, at its lower edge, upon the counterbored edge of the tube shoulder 25 without, however, concealing or closingv the notches 25-a therein. The tube portion 2li-b of the pipette is preferably formed of transparent glass or the equivalent and extends downwardly with its lower tip closely spaced with respect to the bottom of the jar I3. The t of the pipette 25 with the tube 2d is such as to permit the entrance of atmospheric air to the vapor chamber upon 'a withdrawal of vapor from the chamber through the tube I l. Moreover, the tubular portion ZG--b of the pipette being formed of transparent material, a ready indication of the operation or non-operation of the heating lamp I9 is aorded through the Windows constituted by the notches 2li-a. In addition, the counterbored nature of the upper end of the tube 24 facilitates the insertion of the pipette thereinto as well as encourages a drainage of any accumulated jelly or moisture away from the exposed edge of the tube 24.

As thus described, the operation and utility ofthe device may be readily understood.l Assembled with the conventional jar I3 containing a quantity of vapor-yielding jelly, the present device, through the heatingeffect afforded by the small bulb I Il, will eifect the reduction of the contained jelly to a highly volatile, fluid condition. A small quantity of water, or other neutral diluent, is then preferably introduced by the pipette 26, preferably bringing the level of the in the vapor space of the device may be withdrawn by inhaling through the nozzle I8 and air will then gain access to the vapor space through the notches 25-a and the space between the tubes 24 and 2li-b. Suflicient vapor is containedwithin the vapor space to afford periodic treatment for each nostril. In addition, the warm and highly uid jelly maybe directly administered to the nose or throat or externally to the chest, by the simple expedient of withdrawing a suitable portion thereof from the jar I3 by means of the pipette 26. In addition, the pipette may be employed as a means for determining the reduction of the jar contents to the proper degree of iiuidity fsimply by squeezing the bulb 2lia no smearing of the outside of the case will occur,y if reasonable care is exercised. I am aware that my invention is susceptible oiv and noting the resistance of the contents to the" rapid= ilexure of the bulbI 26-0..

The unuty and effectiveness or the' illustrated f Y embodiment of my invention shouldbe readily appreciated from the foregoing description. Upon a depletion of the supply of jelly inthe jark I3,

the jar may be replaced with a new jar without contaminating'the contents or` soiling the finv gers. With the skirt Il of the'device formed of the length`` illustrated, stable support, as well as the preclusion of scratching of the supporting surface for the jar, is assured. Another advantage of the device consists in the ease with which it may be cleansed by the simple lexpedient of Washing with soap and water. Preferably, the con-- tacts of the socket 20 are formed of a material free from tendency to react with or be corroded by the contents of the device. Any suitable switch means may be incorporated ywith the cord 23,.or the end thereof may simply be provided with a conventional plug for attachment to the usual convenience outlet. The device Vincludes no wear-v ing parts, and the small bulb-forming apart thereof has a life suicient to serve for yearsof l use, unless' accidentally damaged'. "If damaged,

it may be replacedrinnthe usual manner. The

countersunk and notched nature of the upperv edge of the tube 24 will, under ordinary use, af-

ford; adequate drainagen into the jar I3, so that embodiment in many forms and, therefore, the

present disclosure isz to be regarded as illustrative only, the scope of the vinvention being de-f termined by the following claim. p What I claim is: A' A vaporizer `for liquids and semi-liquids em'- l bodying volatile therapeutic inhalants, compris-` ing: a bell-like shell consisting of an open-bottomed imperforate skirt and atop closure there-` f for, said imperforate. skirt having its base adaptA ed for support upon a table or similar -flat surface and when so disposed substantially sealing the enclosed space tothe external atmosphere,

means associated with said closure for. withdrawing vapors therethrough by direct human aspiration, a radiant heating element carried by'said kclosure and depending within said skirt, and a WALKER L. 

